First steps toward organization of Seattle’s thirty-six leading men’s organizations into a central body, authorized to act as a clearing house for the Jewish community, were taken this week at a meeting of representatives of the organizations.
The meeting, called by the Past Presidents’ Club of the B’nai B’rith, marked a milestone in the adoption of a plan first suggested here by Jewish teacher several years ago and designed to bring about unified action among Seattle Jewish organizations through a central representative body.
Hearty assent to the formation of a central clearing house was voiced by the organization delegates. A committee, headed by Otto S. Grunbaum, B’nai B’rith past president, present trustee and Temple de Hirsch Men’s Club secretary, was named to draw up a plan of organization and program for the proposed body.
Assisting him will be Melville Monheimer, Temple de Hirsch president; Ben Levine, Workmen’s Circle leader; Charles Miller, Bikur Cholum Congregation president; Jack Caston, Sephardic leader; Sol Esfeld, Zionist Organization and B’nai B’rith leader; Leo Wiesfield, B’nai B’rith zone deputy, and P. Allen Rickles, ranking B’nai B’rith officer in Washington and Herzl Congregation president.
“The action we are taking in forming a Central Conference of Jewish men’s Organizations,” Mr. Grunbaum explained, “is in line with a general movement throughout the country to bring Jewish organizations together in a representative body which, in these critical times, can mobolize Jewish opinion quickly and effectively.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.